Conveyer chain



July 11, 1950 F. H. DALRYMPLE 2,515,079

coNvEYER CHAIN Filed May 6, 1947 JNVENToR. FERDNAND H. DALRYMPLE )vivid/5M ATTORNEY Patented July 11, 1950 UNITED STATES MzPATENT OFFICE CONVEYEIt CHAIN Ferdinand H. Dalrymple, Bedford, Ohio Application May 6, 1947, Serial No. 746,337

The invention relates to conveyor chain and particularly to that type of such chain having a flat top plate or conveying platform.

As is well-known in the art, a fabricated :dat top conveyor chain comprises two laterally opposed series of link side bars articulately connected together to form a plain chain upon which are mounted top plates forming platforms or supports for the articles to be conveyed.

The particular object of the instant invention is to provide a fabricated iiat top conveyor chain, adaptable to different designs or types of chain, in which the side bars of the conveyor chain are of integral formation with the flat top portions thereof. The iiat top portions may be integral with inside roller link side bars or with outside connecting link side bars.

The improved design of integrally formed fiat top conveyor chain obviates considerable labor and incidental handling necessary in welding or riveting operations by means of which chain side bars are often secured to the top plates.

The instant invention is an improvement upon the type of conveyor chain shown in my Patent No. 2,402,376. Said patented structure also discloses integral formations of side bars and flat top plates, but the side bars of said patented structure serve the side of the chain opposite to that which is served by the fiat tops with which the side bars are integrally formed.

In the structure shown herein, the side bar in tegral with a flat top plate serves the same side of the chain as is served by the flat top plate with which it is integrally formed. In other words, inasmuch as the flat top plate extends inwardly substantially to the median longitudinal axis of the conveyor, the side bar integral therewith in the present invention is bent outwardly of and angularly to the inner longitudinal edge of its flat top plate so that the latter extends upon both sides of the angularly bent side bar and there is thus formed between the adjacent faces of opposed side bars sufficient space to accommodate a roller mounted between the opposed side bars'. These rollers are engaged by sprocket teeth to effect the chain movement.

.The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain means illustrating the improvements in conveyor chain, such disclosed means constituting, however, only two of the many forms in which the principle of the invention may be embodied.

In said annexed drawing:

Figure l is a plan view of a punched out blank before it is bent into form suitable for coopera- Claims. (Cl. 198-189) tion with an other like forni to constitute a chain link having integral side bar and top plate formations;

Figure 2 is an elevation looking at an end of the structure shown in Figure 1 after the structure of Figure 1 has been formed into iinal shape;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the integral formation shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a punched out blank, similar to Figure 1, the difference between the two views being that the blank of Figure 1 is suitable for forming an integral formation in which the flat top plate portion is integral'with an inside roller link side bar, whereas, the blank of Figure Il is suitable for forming an integral formation in which the fiat top plate portion is integral with an outside connecting link side bar; and, also, the punched out blank of Figure 4 omits certain of the material on the two ends of the blank for purposes hereinafter fully described, which apply both to rollerlink side bars and connecting link side bars.

Figure 5 is an elevation 'of opposed integral formations in final form connected together by a bushing seated at its ends in the opposed roller link side bars of the two formations and upon which a roller is mounted, the whole forming one link of the improved conveyor chain;

Figure 6 is a plan View of a section of the improved conveyor chain, the same comprising three chain links and two complete joints, the top joint between the upper and intermediate link being formed by an articulating pin which connects the upper chain link having its fiat top portions integrally formed with roller link side bars with the intermediate link having its flat top portions formed integrally with connecting link side bars; whereas, the articulating pin of the lower joint connects the intermediate link with its iiat top portions integrally formed with connecting link side bars with the lower link with its flat top porltions integrally formed with roller link side bars;

Figure 7 is a transverse section, taken in the plane indicated by the line 1 1, Figure 6, show- -irig the upper joint of Figure 6 in which the integral formations consist of iiat top portions and inside roller link side bars; and

Figure 8 is a transversesection, taken in the plane indicated by the line 8-8,' Figure 6, showing the lower joint of Figure 6 in which the integral formations consist of at top portions and outside connecting link side bars.

Whenever a chain element is mentioned herein, it should be understood that a single integral formation is thus referred to, consisting i side rbarf l.

of a flat top plate and a side bar forming one side of a chain link, it being understood that by a link is meant two transversely-opposed similar elements or integral formations forming that part of the complete conveyor chain between adjacent articulating joints.

Referring to the annexed drawing in which the same parts are indicated by the same respective numbers in the several views, the blank of Figure 1.has f2, main portion I and allongtu dinally extended or lengthened end side portion 2, which extension is in both longitudinal directions and is formed with `circular holes 3` whose respective centers are slightly outsidefthe-,

` planes of the two ends of the main portion I.

The blank of Figure 1 is thus referred tofasi'havaling a transverse width of greaterA dimension than its longitudinal length inasmuch as widt L and length are conveyor chain terms anrlthes.V

width of a complete conveyor is that of the transverse fdiinension of '.the-Jconveyor, amiv .the :f

lengthioffcafcomplete conveyorY isftherfsum ,total of the lengths of all of the pitches of the conf,- veyo'rz' The eblanksl is bent.` inalengthwise-.direction so sas 5to t'producesA a f formation suchas shown in Figure-12h11# which'etlre lengthened side portion 2 of the blank extends in a'zlongitudinal vdirectioniand formsia side bar-fl, intermediate the pianesf'defining lthesides oigan unbent fiat Aportion:` I ily:serving -asga conveyingfsurface, aninter-v-uV mediate vportionof the blank being ben-t outwardly and :forming ai connecting; member 'betweenf-.tlie' conveyingportion I1 andutheside bar.

1.. .Th'efintermediate vportion .-5 formed intox--l ani-upperl endJ portion t extendingA substantially parallelto theiside--bar-.l'andza -lowercunvedrend portio-nt which-connects the-.portionlill and the portion? I l" deter-mines the transverse dimension; cr'wiflthiofaflatztop portion;. e., substantially the distance from the:medianlongitudinalline of the contemplated complete chain conveyOrrto an outsid-e'ff-edgeoftheconveyonI whichV is.-sub

stantiallyroneehalf the Ytransverse dimension zof thefcarryingf;surface' of a corn-plete conveyor link. Theextentftowhich-the side bar :l is car Y ried in under: thefconveying-surface .I1l isdeterl mined -fbyaboutV one-half the Ispace .that is rrequired :to-:accommodate av roller .9 -.between the vside'fbar-l andthe-sidebar :1 of ari-.opposed:likel integral-fformationthefinneredge of Whose .op-

posedfconveying surface'. I1 substantially abuts the inner edge of l the yconveying surface -I1,- as` tweenfadjacentichalin joints. `The .roller9-isr mounted onavtbushing `II secured. at'fits respectivev 'ends inthe opposed [side bars''l.

I lated fchainj Aeffectc-idby two `of the aforesaidfintegra'lfiormations disposed in opposedirelationv with -the inner' edges'iof the'platformportions I1-- sbstantiallyabutting is also shown" in t'Fi'g'ure f7,

an articulating pin-:I0 :being ysecured inr-,outer'ff i connectingsfsidefbars,12.

lWhen fr the. flat top conveying portions i are '2 chainrlinkaxsuch as portions I 2, Figureslleand'.; the following modiflcationsfareinecessary. The

` portio'nffof` the blank'which Aforms vthe-parts pin holes- 32 are smaller inasmuch as the bushings II do not intersect the outer connecting side bars 12. A suitable form of blank to effect these objectives is shown in Figure 4 in which it will be noted that the part 42-62 of the blank is somewhat longer than the part 4--6 of the blank shown in Figure 2, and that the holes 32 are smaller than the holes 3 of the blank shown in Figure 1.

Inneither-offthe-fonnsgofblanks, blank I of Figure 1, and blank I 2 of Figure 4, production may be expedited by relieving the ends of the `intermediate portion of the blank between the sidevsurface conveying portion and the side bar portion, as is indicated, for purposes of illustration, by "the-irecesses I2, Figure 4. The ad- .vantagesofthe.cutaway type blank shown in Figure 4 are that it is easier to form; and also `permits-lower platform or conveying surface height in relation to the horizontal chain pin centerline;.-,and,-fast stated, is, ay type which may be fused: f or f. forming roller ,link .sides-bars or. A conl-r necting linkssidefbars.A "Whenever :the yconveying surface portioneof .Jia

chain-.element isformedfintegrally With. the .out-- side-.fconneetingflinkside bar, and the'curvedv`v portion '62,fof the element is not bent upwardly vsuincientlynto alloW- clearance for the .insidesroller linktsidebars 1,.- thenthe portionof Vthe blank between-i .the side conveying surface ...and the-flinkfsidefbarfisfnecessarily relieved Aat ends-to an extentsuicient to providethefnecesf' sary clearance.V This Acondition isillustrated-.in.: Fig-uresb` and .8.' Thisfclearance may not-betothefsame extent as indicated by4 the'recesses-.lL-f. Figure 4, but isto such "van extent as will prow. vide the required clearance for^theroller .linka sidebar -'I.

The inventionflendsitself to present standard chain assemblyfas also, topresent standard; proceduresfof coupling, ,uncoupling and field irepairs. Furthermore, theltwo integral forma- 5 tions-compris-ing Aan outside connecting link :of theinvention-canbe used-'as a couplinglinkafor'f` other fiat topchains that have the samewpitchr andv pointV dimensions, a provided 'the conveying: surface -height= of g the-integral` formationsy Iabove the -sidebarcenterline ismade 'to conform totA the'vconveyingfsuriace height of the othenilat top chain to which itis'applied.:

Although'- the igap between Y. the adjacent inner edges fbetween thei conveying --surfaces ,S1 Aocr-ii2 ofi'ia :chain link shown as yquite-narrow,;iand` thus theffadjacent edges'of the Asurfaces Vsubstan#Y tiallyfa'butting-f thisv lis 'merely illustrativa;l inas- 1 muc-has the bottles; cans, kother containers,A and packages carriedbythis vtype ofnat top chain"- have a'substantial lbottom sizeor diameter soz-" thatltheystrad'dle any gapof a width which not unreasonably v greatl rfor they crcumstances.. Anywidthbfzgap withinreasoniwrill not mate-l' rially"afectthersmoothness of conveying andi"i transfer'Y operations, i. e., the conveyed -r articles willr-retain theirn balance and'stability; These' articles that-are thus` transported bythe 'flat topf? chain are usually conveyed and 'transferredrini single -leiand 'are guided vto .the approximate center offthe chain conveyorfby meansof 'guider rails# 1.5A link-,element `for chain conveyors rwhiehi' have articulated longitudinally-opposed links*v with transverse opposed-@and'connected side-bars, comprising fa ,.memberformedi from a one-:piece s blankzbent :to prot/ide, on 'the'fsame side 'roi ther? s, conveyor', a conveying surface and a substantially relatively right-angular side bar, the blank also being bent downwardly and outwardly to form a connecting member between the conveying surface and the side bar to provide a space laterally interiorly of the side bar for the accommodation of a sprocket-engaging member between the side bars of two of the link elements reversely-arranged in opposed relation.

2. A link for chain conveyors which have articulated longitudinally-opposed links with transverse opposed and connected side bars, comprising two opposed connected reversely-arranged link elements each characterized as in claim 1, in which the inner edges of the conveying surface portions of the two link elements substantially abut to form a substantially continuous conveying platform.

3. A link for chain conveyors which have articulated longitudinally-opposed links with transverse opposed and connected side bars, comprising two opposed connected reversely-arranged link elements each characterized as in claim 1, in which the two link elements are identical and form between them an enclosed space for a sprocket-engaged roller, a pin for articulate connection with an adjacent link having side bars overlapping the side bars of the elements, the pin being secured at its ends in the opposed side bars of the adjacent link, and a bushing mounted on the pin and in the side bars of the link elements, upon which bushing a roller is mounted.

4. A link element for chain conveyors which have articulated longitudinally-opposed links with transverse opposed and connected side bars, characterized as in claim 1, in which the connecting formation is relieved at its transverse edges to form clearance recesses.

5. A conveyor chain comprising longitudinallyopposed links each of which consists of two transversely-opposed relatively reversely-arranged elements each formed from a one-piece blank bent to provide, on the same side of the conveyor, a conveying surface and a substantially relatively right-angular side bar, each blank being also bent downwardly and outwardly to form a connecting member between the conveying surface and the side bar, the conveying surfaces of the two elements being transversely aligned to form a conveying platform, side bars of longitudinally-adjacent links overlapping, alternately inside and outside, articulating pins connecting transverselyopposed pairs of overlapping side bars and secured at their ends in the outer bars, bushings connecting the inner bars and seated at their ends therein, and rollers mounted on the bushings between the opposed inner bars.

FERDINAND H. DALRYMPLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,651,981 Tevander Dec. 6, 1927 2,045,912 Howison June 30, 1936 2,360,209 Dalrymple 1 Oct. 10, 1944 2,402,376 Dalrymple June 18, 1946 2,440,212 Schmidt Apr. 20, 1948 

